Improved method of securing barrel-heads



' J. T. TOMKINS Method of Securing Barrel Heads.

"N0. 45,771. v Patented Jan. 3, .1865- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH T. TOMKINS, OF NEW? YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED METHOD OF SECURING BARREL-HEADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 5,77], dated January 3, 1865; antedaied November 24, 1861.

F0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrrr T. TOMKINS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Method of Forming the Heads of Barrels, Oasks, and Kegs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this speeilicatiomin whicl1 Figure 1 is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 a top view, of the head of a barrel or other vessel having my improvement therein.

The'present method of heading up and unheading barrels, it is well known, consistsin first loosening the hoops, and thus expanding the staves, so as to permit the head to be inserted into or removed from the chine or groove in the staves. This process is comparatively difficult, and in the heading up generally requires an expert to accomplish it. It is also more or less destructive of the hoops and staves, being, in fact, wholly unmechanioal, and practiced only because heretofore there has been no other feasible way invented. My invention, on the contrary, overcomes all these objections, and for heavy goodssuch as marble-dust, lime, cement, and plaster can be afforded without any material increase of the cost, greatly facilitating the heading and unheading, leaving the hoops, staves, chine, and head perfect, or nearly so, and thus rendering the whole structure durable and capable of being repeatedly filled and used.

The nature of my invention will be at once understood by referring to the drawings.

A, Figure 1, is a center piece, fitted and shaped in such a way as that it may be in serted between the parts of the head B and G, and when driven fully home, Fig. 2, will force the parts 13 and G into proper position, and thus with them form a complete head.

. In Fig. 1 the center piece, A, and the parts 13 and O are represented'as plowed and grooved, and A is represented as passing through the single-chinehoop-on the barrel. For coarse work neither of these is essential, as the piece A may be fitted in plain and variously modified in relation to the hoop or hoops, and in'soine instances it might perhaps be inserted inside of the circle of the hoops and exterior to the parts B and C.

To open the barrel it is only necessary to cut out a little from the part A, so as to form a bearing, which, being struck by a hammer,

will start the piece into the position shown in Fig. 1, and the head may then be taken out.

The part A may be variously shapedsuch as parallel or wedged forn1and introduced at the center or on either side of the center, and one or more may be used.

For tight worksuch as for putting up fish, pork, and beefit may be necessary to pack the joints formed by the piece A, and such packing may be accomplished in various ways by the use of rubber or other suitable material, and the part A may be formed slightly thicker and wedging at its exterior end, so as when inserted it will make a thorough joint at the hoop side. Should it be found necessary, the part A, when inserted, may be secured inits place by means of a catch-bolt or nail.

\Vhat I claim as new and of my own inven tion, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

The use of the piece A, substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

JAMEs E. MoBE'rH, JAnEs WA'rsoN CAIRNS. 

